Proglas Initiative to Keep Silent until Elections due to Rifts in the Opposition

Non partisan initiative ProGlas (ProVote)Belgrade, Nov. 7 2023 (BETAPHOTO/MILAN ILIC)

The ProGlas (ProVote) initiative announced on May 13 that they will keep silent until the local polls on June 2, in order to avoid their actions being interpreted differently against the backdrop of divisions within the opposition over whether to run for election or not.

The ProGlas said in a release that acting as an arbiter or being an actor in daily political struggles "has never been the goal of ProGlas, nor will it ever be." "Together with thousands of citizens, ProGlas stated on Dec. 30 that it 'refuses to accept' the humiliation caused by election manipulation in the December polls. In that spirit, we invested enormous efforts in the following months to fight alongside the united opposition for the minimum requirements for a free and fair election. We were on a good path to achieving that. To our regret though, the unity of the opposition was compromised at a critical moment," the initiators of ProGlas explained in the press release.

They have cautioned that that the rift within the opposition over a decision to run for election or not is "an extremely bad outcome." "We have always addressed the segments of the electorate in favor of changes. Now that even those voters are divided, we believe that any action on our part would be interpreted against the new divisions, and being an arbiter or a mere actor in daily political struggles has never been our goal, nor will it ever be," ProGlas said.

ProGlas also promised that as of June 3 it would "continue the fight for systemic changes in society.”